


A Healthy Fixation

by licenseplate



Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Gen, Humor, Suggestive Themes, no real tags tbh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-26
Updated: 2017-02-26
Packaged: 2018-09-27 00:39:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9941921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/licenseplate/pseuds/licenseplate
Summary: Frederick teaches Robin what each and every component of his armor is, and how he puts it on every day.Hinted Robin->Frederick





	

**Author's Note:**

> It's 7 in the morning and I haven't slept and all I can do is think of Frederick.  
> I looked up baths and armor in the medieval era and my eyes no longer know peace. Pardon inaccuracies anyway.  
> I literally only wrote this because I have an unhealthy obsession with Frederick currently, and that armor (his in particular) is very interesting.  
> So is his naked body, potentially.

The sun was just coming up over the horizon, signalling a new day. The air was crisp out, making it a little chilly. Robin stretched her arms upward, as if reaching for the sky. She was feeling groggy but she couldn’t sleep and her joints ached from the previous day’s battle. She thought she’d heat up the water in the bathing tents for the others to enjoy, but all she really wanted was to take a refreshing dip by herself.

Yawning loudly, she headed towards the men’s tent first so she could get that out of the way. At this time of the morning, she surely wasn’t going to walk in on Chrom naked again. What she didn’t expect was that there would be someone else already in there. It was kind of silly, she thought, to have forgotten the earliest riser among the Shepherds, Frederick. He was resting in the tub closest to the entrance of the tent. His bulky, scarred body took up all of the space and she found it hard not to laugh at the sight. He turned his head immediately at the sound.

“Who goes there?”

“It’s just me.” Robin waved her hand and nonchalantly made her way into the tent. “I wanted to help get some water boiling for everyone’s baths since I couldn’t sleep.”

“You shouldn’t be in here. People might get the wrong idea.” Frederick tried to sink his body deeper into the tub, but his large figure prevented him from doing so.

“Are you embarrassed? I’m not here to watch you, I promise.” Robin looked inside the water barrels, concentrated on her task. Maybe she should go fetch some more water. The physical exercise would probably wake her up.

“Nonsense,” he replied. “But it would be best if I got out now, soaking in for too long isn’t too good either.”

“Are you hinting that I should leave?”

“That is the case.”

Instead of leaving, Robin turned back to the task at hand. She decided to start the fire before anything else. She crouched on the ground and prepared to grab the flint and the firesteel required to start. One spark in the wrong direction and the whole tent could be set ablaze.

“I believe it would be best if you let me do that.” Frederick shifted a little as if reading her thoughts, and Robin could hear the water splashing against the sides of his tub. “After I get out of the bath, that is.”

“No one’s stopping you, go ahead.” Robin turned to face Frederick. Surely a stalwart knight such as he would not mind one silly woman? “I do know how you like to light fires, though.”

He grimaced almost audibly, and Robin smiled. She originally came in for one thing, but decided that pushing Frederick’s buttons would be just as good.

“Very well.”

He grabbed the sides of the tub and thrust his body up. He was naked, vulnerable, his bare sculpted buttocks in her field of vision. He stepped out of the tub and turned to replace its lid with such a swift motion, Robin couldn’t note his facial expression. She was perhaps a little too occupied with admiring his nude form. With a hand, he pushed his wet hair upward and out of his face. He grabbed a towel to pat himself dry, and Robin was too mesmerized to do anything but watch.

“What seems to be the matter? Is the heat getting to you?” Frederick casted a glance in her direction, the flimsy towel now wrapped around his waist. It seemed a bit small for a giant like him, but Robin wasn’t complaining.

“No, well,” she struggled for an appropriate response. “How do you, uh, get that armor on and off everyday? Isn’t it tiring?”

“Ah, well, after years of doing so, you get used to it. I don’t mean to flaunt, but I can get my full set on in a mere three minutes.”

“That’s impressive,” Robin said, glancing at his naked body instead. She had absolutely no idea what the average time was for someone to put their armor on. “Suppose you showed me how to do it?”

“Why the sudden interest?”

“If I get a feel of how armor is put on, perhaps I can aim my attacks better. You know, gaps in the armor and such.”

“That’s quite reasonable,” Frederick mused. “All right then. You’re in luck as I brought my armor here with me. Now… just let me put the clothes that go under on first.”

At this point Robin had already let the fire starting tools drop from her hands. She could feel the steam in the tent on her skin and her throat drying up. She watched as Frederick swiftly put on his undergarments and his white shirt on. Then, he sat down on the edge of the tub and put on socks, followed by his black slacks. He tucked his shirt in and fitted his suit jacket on. The ribbon then came on around his neck, and he turned to look at Robin.

“I thought you were starting the fire.”

“I think you’d have more fun with that than I,” she replied as she already had her excuse prepared since a while ago.

He nodded and grabbed his shoes while positioning himself in front of the tub so Robin could see. She found him… oddly attractive...

“I like to start from the bottom up. It’s much easier for me as my cuirass is quite bulky,” he explained without prompting.

Frederick put on his shoes. They looked like formal shoes, but they had holes in them. He said that those holes were where the attachments for the sabatons went. Robin watched carefully as he moved his large hands deftly to tie the pieces to his feet. Then came on his greaves.

“This piece of armor,” he said, absorbed, “covers the lower part of the leg.” He tied it on faster than Robin’s eyes could make out. “And on top of this would usually come the cuisses, but my armor is slightly different from the standard design. This knee piece here is called the poleyn.” Frederick patted his knees to show her.

The bottom pieces done with, Frederick picked up what seemed like the arm pieces. He lifted each of them up to show Robin and named them before putting them on. He was adept at putting the pieces on singlehandedly. She would almost be impressed if she hadn’t recalled how many years he’d been doing this.

Rerebrace and vambrace attached to his arms, he explained that the piece on his elbow was called the couter. Next, he picked up the larger pieces of his armor and showed them to her too. His face seemed to shine with excitement despite all the steam, and Robin couldn’t help but be fascinated by him.

“This is the gorget, and on top comes the cuirass.” Frederick said as he placed them on, one after the other. “My cuirass is unfortunately a single piece which would make it harder for trainees to bear as it might cut their mobility at first. Not all armor is like this of course, and over the years I have become one with my own, adept at moving around in all manner of positions to serve His Highness. It’s also quite a time saver, not having to tie multiple pieces of armor on. It is quite tricky to reach behind your back to put on the more traditional cuirass... But I digress.”

“What’s that piece over your abdomen? Is that also part of the cuirass?” Robin was somewhat getting into it, admiring all the sections that made up the knight’s armor and quite obviously the knight himself.

“Ah yes, how observant of you. This is the plackart, made up of several strips of steel allowing me to bend my body. Normally this task would be for the faulds, but again, my armor does not have any. Quite fascinating how all these things are put together so its wearer can move.”

Next, he fastened to the straps hanging off from his plackart two pieces called tassets. They served to shield his thighs. His light blue pauldrons came next, covering his shoulders. Finally, he fitted his gauntlets on, and he looked like the Frederick everyone saw daily.

“And there you have it. I take that it was educational for you?” He stood in front of Robin, arms behind his back as always.

“That was really interesting, Frederick! You actually taught me more than I expected to learn.”

He raised an eyebrow at the comment. “Anyhow, you should definitely be leaving now. We wouldn’t want that thief to come up with a new nickname for you, would we?”

“Hm, I suppose,” Robin made a face and then smiled mischievously. “Well, Frederick, anytime you need help putting on your armor, let me know. Or I could also help you, I don’t know, take it off?”

“Gods, woman. Don’t be so vulgar. Out you go now, I must be starting the fire.” Frederick tried to usher Robin out with his now gloved hands pushing her back.

“Okay, okay, I got it--”

“Whoa!”

“Chrom?”

“Y-Your Highness?” Frederick sputtered. “I can assure you this isn’t what it looks like..!”

“Haha,” Awkwardly, Chrom put a hand to the back of his neck and looked to the ground. “I, uh…”

“It’s just as Frederick says. I was just learning from him how he put his armor on. It’s pretty interesting you know? Don’t worry, I kept my clothes on the entire time. Maybe you could show me how you do yours too, after your bath, Chrom?”

“Robin!” Frederick almost shouted.

“Don’t get your codpiece in a twist.”

“I am not wearing a codpiece-- Wait, how do you know what a codpiece is?”

Robin grinned. “Let me know when need help, hmm?” she said as she looked up to Frederick, her finger gently stroking up his throat to his chin and lingering there for a few seconds. Water dripped from his wet hair down the side of his face, and she could feel his Adam’s apple bob up and down in response. “Have a nice bath, Chrom.”

With that, she slapped the prince’s shoulder and made her way to the women’s tent with a jolly gait.

“Frederick, what in the world was that all about?”

“Nothing, Your Highness. Nothing at all...”

**Author's Note:**

> Language note:  
> I use "Your Highness" instead of "milord" or "My Lord" because after looking at different sources, those expressions do not refer to royalty, more like just nobility. I know that's how the game was localized... alas.  
> I can't remember anything else I've changed but if I did, its probably because it would be more fitting.


End file.
